Press Releases

U.S. companies are so inundated with inventory that some are renting truck trailers to use for storage space, parking them on warehouse lots or behind storefronts to hold goods until a surge in imports is cleared from crowded distribution hubs.

Transportation equipment lessor Milestone Equipment Holdings launched a “mobile warehousing and storage” business this year to accommodate more customers seeking trailers to hold goods, many of them pulled in from China during 2018 to get ahead of impending tariffs.

The company said Home Depot Inc. and several other major retailers and manufacturers are using the service.

“It’s like a warehouse on wheels,” said Sarah Johnson, who heads up the new mobile storage business at Milestone. “We now think about our trailers as more of a real-estate alternative than just a trailer.”

ST. CHARLES, MO (December 12, 2018) – Milestone Equipment Holdings, a national leader in trailer and chassis leasing, is expanding its offerings to include a line of mobile warehousing and storage products. As the only national lessor with dedicated trailers for mobile storage applications, Milestone is positioned to be the industry leader for this kind of offering, with a fleet of 59,000+ trailers of varying specifications, sizes and vintages. This launch is the latest in Milestone’s recent expansions, which have included rapid growth of fleet size and additional locations over the past several years.

In preparation for the launch, Milestone developed a robust infrastructure that included the development of a 15-point quality inspection for the storage assets as well as operational mechanisms that can often deliver assets on site in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Milestone can also provide inexpensive trailer parking at one of its 25 branch locations across the United States if on-site storage space is a challenge.

Forward-Thinking

“We saw an opportunity to use our high-quality fleet to solve space constraints directly related to warehousing shortages and supply chain disruptions; providing expanded access and new solutions for our customers,” said Sarah Johnson, Executive Vice President of Mobile Warehousing and Storage for Milestone. “These forward- and reverse-logistic storage solutions address many of the demands driven by e-commerce, freeing up customers’ equipment. It’s exciting to be the only national single-source provider of this kind of trailer and storage network.”

The product line is comprised of trailers available for cartage, portable or fixed storage; with options that include 53’ or 48’ dry van trailers with roll-up or swing doors and air or spring ride. The services are supported by 25 branches across the country, with a team of dedicated customer service specialists. Milestone can provide flexible terms to address customers’ various volume and commitment needs. The company will also soon offer an enhanced online reservation request system and customer portal, both of which will be available in early 2019.

Opportunity

“In recent years, many companies have struggled with rapidly escalating logistics and warehousing costs, in part driven by the massive growth of e-commerce,” said Milestone CEO Don Clayton. “We worked closely with our customers to develop a product offering that delivers substantial cost savings and flexibility relative to traditional warehousing. Along with the significant investments we continue to make in late model equipment and the expansion of our branch network, we’re positioned to deliver an unparalleled range of solutions to our customers.”

About Milestone Equipment Holdings, LLC

With a combined fleet of more than 85,000 trailers, chassis and domestic containers, Milestone is one of the nation’s leading and most comprehensive transportation lessors. Founded in 1995 and Headquartered in St. Charles, MO, Milestone’s team of seasoned commercial, operational and customer support professionals provide a broad range of transportation solutions to customers, operating from 60+ locations nationwide.

Problem Solvers

Truckers in Southern California who encounter an emergency requirement for a chassis, or wish to supplement their existing fleet during the peak season, can now turn to a joint pool established by the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) and Milestone Chassis.

With chassis shortages intensifying during the peak shipping season, the HTA, with about 100 member companies in Los Angeles-Long Beach, on Oct. 4 launched its partnership with Milestone to offer members round-the-clock access to a diversified chassis fleet at their combined yard in Wilmington, California.

“It really started to hit in the last couple of weeks,” Doug Hoehn, executive vice president of Milestone, said Wednesday. Chassis shortages and dislocations occur on and off throughout the year in the largest US port complex, but they are especially prevalent during the late summer-autumn peak shipping season.

ST. CHARLES, MO (September 12, 2018) – Responding to growing transportation needs in the Pacific Northwest, Milestone announces its expansion in the Seattle-Tacoma region, effective immediately. In an effort to continuously expand its service offerings to both local and national clients, Milestone is opening the Seattle depot as a key strategic location to service trailer and chassis needs.

“We are excited about this expansion and look forward to delivering creative solutions and outstanding service to our customers throughout the region, while offering more comprehensive services to national accounts with West Coast fulfillment needs,” says Chuck Cannata, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Highway Division at Milestone.

The region’s economic boom and its proximity to the Port of Seattle means a tremendous need in industries including construction, manufacturing and agriculture, among others.

“Seattle is undergoing explosive growth and we want to be a part of that – the opportunities to serve this market are exciting,” says Sarah Johnson, Executive Vice President, Mobile Storage and Warehousing at Milestone. “Our Pacific Northwest customers will have access to Milestone’s nationwide network and a robust mix of 85,000+ pieces of equipment, with our focus on over-the-road needs, as well as mobile storage and chassis.”

Customers interested in accessing equipment for their transportation needs can contact Seattle-Tacoma Account Manager Todd Bring at todd.bring@milecorp.com or (206) 453-9002. For more information, visit milecorp.com/seattle.

Chuck Cannata joins Milestone as Executive Vice President for the trailer leasing division, leading the nationwide branch network’s commercial activities, including sales, customer service and field operations. Chuck brings 18 years of commercial equipment finance experience to Milestone, including eight years of sales management and business development at GE Trailer Fleet Services. He is based in Kansas City, KS.

Mike Schiller joins Milestone as Senior Vice President of Operations Support, leading key functions such as real estate, vendor management and environmental health & safety. Mike brings 23 years of trailer leasing experience to Milestone, including 21 years of diverse commercial and operations experience at GE Trailer Fleet Services and two years of general management experience at Fleet Trailer Leasing. Mike will be relocating to St. Charles, MO.

Kathy Tierney joins Milestone as Vice President of Human Resources, leading all key HR functions, including recruiting & development, employee relations, payroll & benefits and compliance. Kathy brings 40 years of HR experience to Milestone, including 20 years at First Bank and 20 years at Venture Stores. Kathy is based in St. Charles, MO.

“I am very proud of the outstanding team that we have built by promoting from within and selectively adding outside talent.” says Milestone CEO Don Clayton. “The addition of Chuck, Mike and Kathy will help us continue to grow rapidly, while driving operational excellence in their areas of responsibility. Just as importantly, these additions provide some of our other very talented leaders the bandwidth they need to drive focused strategic initiatives that will contribute to Milestone’s future success.”

As reported in JOC.com, Milestone continues to lead and invest in new chassis equipment. Milestone’s fleet expansion is the latest initiative by a chassis supplier looking to create a niche by offering new, or high-end, equipment.

Milestone Equipment Holdings plans to nearly double the size of its fleet of mainly new marine chassis to close to 20,000 pieces of equipment over the next 18 months, underscoring the broader effort by some providers to attract truckers and their shipping customers with better fuel mileage, less chances of shipment disruptions caused by breakdown, and reduced repairs.

The company’s fleet expansion is the latest initiative by a chassis supplier looking to create a niche by offering new, or high-end, equipment. The focus reflects, in part, a growing demand by chassis users for an alternative to what some shippers and truckers see as the failings of the nation’s aging chassis fleet, much of which is in the daily rental sector and remains from when ocean carriers began selling their fleets a decade ago.

“Milestone’s depth of industry experience, flexible deal structuring, lender relationships and nationwide branch network uniquely positions the company to craft and execute on this type of transaction,” says Don Clayton, Milestone President and CEO.

New Equipment, More Opportunity

The Milestone – Heartland deal provides Heartland the opportunity to move out of the leased late model fleet that was part of its July 2017 purchase of Interstate Distributor Company (IDC) while providing for a quick and orderly return of all 1,575 trailers to locations throughout Milestone’s nationwide branch network. Additionally, the structure of the transaction allows Heartland to focus on the replacement of the IDC fleet with trailers made more to its specifications.

“This transaction allows Heartland to execute our financial and fleet strategies effectively and efficiently,” says Michael Gerdin, Heartland President and CEO. “Milestone’s extensive experience in large multi-location trailer fleet programs gave us confidence in working with the Milestone team.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Milestone’s expansive growth in the last three years – including the addition of $400 million of equipment. Inventory comprises of approximately 85,000 trailers, chassis, and containers provided to customers under flexible operating lease and rental structures. “The company continues to respond to customer and market demand,” says Clayton. “We are dedicated to driving results for our partners.”

About Milestone Equipment Holdings, LLC

Milestone is one of the largest and fastest growing transportation equipment leasing companies in the US, operating a diversified fleet of over 84,000 pieces of equipment including Domestic Chassis, Domestic Containers, Marine Chassis, Highway Trailers, Intermodal Trailers, Storage and Convention Trailers, Flatbed Trailers, Refrigerated Containers and Trailers, and other specialty equipment.

Headquartered in St. Charles, MO with an operational center in Chicago and 60+ commercial locations across the country, Milestone has acquired intermodal and highway fleets for our operations since 1995, while managing and leasing equipment on behalf of institutional and private investors. Our customers include trucking companies (over-the-road and LTL), third-party logistics (3PL) companies, package carriers, private shippers, railroads, steamship operators, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs), retailers, manufacturers and other companies throughout the transportation sector. The Milestone fleet allows all of these industry segments to maximize equipment utilization and transportation efficiency without the burden of owning their own equipment.

CHARLES, MO (April 11, 2018) – Milestone is pleased to announce the addition of John Horgan as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Horgan will be based in St. Charles, MO and will report directly to Don Clayton, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“I am very happy to join the Milestone team,” says Horgan. “The company has grown rapidly over the past few years and this management team has a clear vision for the future. I am excited to contribute to an organization that is so focused on serving its customers and creating opportunities for its team members.”

Prior to joining Milestone, Horgan served for eight years as CEO or General Manager of three companies in the manufacturing, distribution and software industries. Previously he served for 15 years in a CFO capacity, including large divisional roles at two public companies. During that time, Horgan was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, financing, SEC registrations, LEAN process improvements and margin optimization initiatives. He began his career at Ernst & Young, serving as an auditor and consultant for 12 years at a variety of publicly traded financial services and manufacturing companies.

“Over the past year, we have made great strides in building a world-class management team by promoting from within and adding top talent from outside the company,” says Milestone CEO Don Clayton. “John will be another tremendous addition to our team. His accomplishments as a finance leader speak for themselves, but just as importantly, his CEO experience will give him a broader perspective to help us further improve the customer experience and drive shareholder value.”

Horgan earned his Master of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Business Administration from Saint Louis University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.

About Milestone Equipment Holdings, LLC

Milestone is one of the largest and fastest growing transportation equipment leasing companies in the US, operating a diversified fleet of approximately 85,000 pieces of equipment including Domestic Chassis, Domestic Containers, Marine Chassis, Highway Trailers, Intermodal Trailers, Storage and Convention Trailers, Flatbed Trailers, Refrigerated Containers and Trailers, and other specialty equipment.

Headquartered in St. Charles, MO with an operational center in Chicago and 65+ commercial locations across the country, Milestone has acquired intermodal and highway fleets for our operations since 1995, while managing and leasing equipment on behalf of institutional and private investors. Our customers include trucking companies (over-the-road and LTL), third-party logistics (3PL) companies, package carriers, private shippers, railroads, steamship operators, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs), retailers, manufacturers and other companies throughout the transportation sector. The Milestone fleet allows all of these industry segments to maximize equipment utilization and transportation efficiency without the burden of owning their own equipment.

Meet Your Milestone

As Milestone continues to expand its footprint, serving customers in its growing network across 25+ cities nationwide, the company welcomes new team member – Jean Calderon, Branch Operations Assistant in Romulus, Michigan.

Jean Calderon, Branch Operations Assistant, Romulus, MI

What are your roles and responsibilities at Milestone?

My duties are to assure the branch operates smoothly. Answer phones, open mail, sign for packages, attend to all PO requests (vendors to in-house mechanics) in a timely manner, assure all files are up to date with all proper paper work, from registrations to license plates. Keep all spreadsheets updated and entered properly. Assist in any area that is in need. And be an all-around team player!

Where were you before you joined Milestone?

I worked for an automotive financial company.

What do you look forward to contributing to the company?

I look forward to contributing my work ethic, bilingual skills, organizational skills and customer service skills to the company as a whole.

Why do you enjoy working in the transportation industry?

I enjoy automotive in general, whether it be automotive or transportation. I enjoy working with people. Meeting new people, helping out a customer or vendor in a pinch. Helping my co-workers, customers or vendors in any way that I can.

Hurricane Season 2017

As hurricanes were making landfall in Texas and the Florida Keys, Sarah Johnson’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Disaster relief preparations were in motion and Milestone would play a crucial role in getting emergency goods to shelters and relief centers across the Southern US and the Eastern Seaboard.

“It was a mad scramble, but everybody was on deck to help,” says Johnson, Executive Vice President of Highway Operations. “Whether it was making phone calls around the clock, getting employees out in the field or giving up weekends and nights to make sure customers could access equipment – everyone played a crucial role in making all this happen. Which was pretty awesome. “

The Milestone team worked with carriers hauling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deploy hundreds of trailers across the country (San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, Tulsa, Memphis and York, Pennsylvania) to help deliver bottled water and other emergency supplies to evacuees.

In total, Milestone moved some 400 trailers in support of FEMA-related hurricane relief, which was one of the largest in scale the company participated in. Milestone is committed to serving communities around the nation, especially in times of extreme circumstances. This year’s hurricane season proved to be a true test for how local communities, states and the nation would come together to combat Mother Nature. Milestone is honored to have worked with FEMA to provide aid in the areas most affected and will continue to strive to be an industry leader in volunteering efforts.